Spreader



April 13, 1943. F, H. WYMAN SPREADER Filed Apfil'll, 1942 ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 13, 1943 asians i srnEADEn Freya ir. Wyman, ',roccba., da., assigner to n. G.

' Le Tourneau, Inc., a corporation Application April 11, 1942, Serial No. 438,557

' (ci. .2s-sat) 5 Claims.

' This invention relates in general to an irnproved hand tool. and in particular-the invention is directed to and it is my principal object to provide a unique one-hand operated spreader or separable Spanner tool.

A further object of the instant invention is to provide a spreader, as above, for engagement with 'and to eect the spreadingl of the segments of a gun shell casing supporting and protector ring, such as shown in my copending application for United States Letters Patent, Ser. No.g438,556, led April 11, 1942.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly eiective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specication and claims.

In the drawing similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the tool when not in use.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the tool engaged with a segmental gun shell casing supporting and protector ring, and actuated to spread the segments of said ring.

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic plan view of one of said rings with which the tool is particularly designed to be used.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawing, the device comprises a pair of normally parallel legs I and 2; these legs being of the same length and being connected substantially centrally of their ends by means of a spreader bar 3. At one end the spreader bar is rigidly fixed with the corresponding leg, as at 4, while at the other end the spreader bar is pivoted to the other leg by a pivot p At their upper end the legs I and 2 are connected by a toggle link assembly which includes links 6 and 'I. These links are pivoted together at adjacent ends by a pivot pin 8, while at their opposite ends the links are pivoted to the legs by other pvot pins 9.

An ear I is formed on the upper end of one link and overhangs the adjacent link 'I, whereby to limit upward movement of the toggle link assembly so that the latter cannot move upwardly beyond dead center.

The link I intermediate its ends and overhanging pivot pin 8 is formed with an upwardly sloping hand or palm engaging pad II, while the spreader bar 3 below pad Ii is cut out to form a hand grip I2. The distance between pad lI and hand grip I2 is such that when the palm of the operators hand is on pad Il, the lingers of such hand may engage grip i2.

The lower ends of the legs l are formed with longitudinally and outwardly projecting work-engaging lugs I3, each having an enlarged base, Id which serves as a limiting element when the lugs are projected into openings in the work to be spread, as will hereinafter appear.

The above described tool, while being capable of varied uses, is primarily intended for use to engage and separate a segmental gun shell casing supporting and protector ring as previously indicated, and which ring is here shown diagrammatically in Fig. 3. This ring, indicated generally at R, comprises separable, guided, and normally spring-closed segments I5 and I6, the guiding and spring closing means being indicated generally at II. At opposed points the segments I5 and It are formed with lug receiving openings I8. To spread the segments of the ring R for the purpose of engaging the latter with the encircling band B on a gun shell casing C, the tool is manipulated as follows:

The tool is grasped in the hand in the manner epreviously described and the lugs I3 projected into openings I8 of the ring until enlarged bases I4 abut the ring. Thereafter the operator, with a squeezing action, causes toggle links 6 and 1 to articulate or buckle downwardly towards spreader bar 3. This results in the upper ends of legs I being drawn toward each other and a relative spreading of the lower end of said legs and lugs I3. Consequently the segments I5 and I6 of ring R are spread apart sufficiently to permit placement or removal of the ring G from the band B of shell casing C. Return movement of the parts of the tool to normal position, as shown in Fig. 1, results lunder the influence of the spring closing means I1 of the ring, when the operator relaxes his grip on the tool.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as swbstantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A spreader comprising a spreader bar, a pair of legs, means securing the legs intermediate their ends in connection with opposite ends of said bar for relative pivotal movement of said legs, one leg being xed to the bar at a right angle thereto, and the other leg being -pivoted to said bar, work engaging elements on one end of said legs, and manually actuated means connected between the legs and operative to eiect such relative movement thereof, said manually actuated means comprising a toggle link unit.

2. A spreader comprising a spreader bar, a pair of legs, means securing the legs intermediate their ends in connection with opposite ends of said bar for relative pivotal movement of said legs, work engaging elements on one end of said legs, a toggle link unit pivotally connected between the other ends of said legs, inward buckling movement of said unit causing separating movement of said work engaging elements, and an element formed with one leg adjacent the toggle link unit and overhanging one link of the latter, said element being positioned to prevent outward buckling movement of said unit beyond dead center.

3. A spreader comprising a spreader bar, a pair of legs, means securing the legs intermediate their ends in connection with opposite ends of said ybar for relative pivotal movement of said legs, work engaging elements on one end of said legs, a toggle link unit pivotally connected between the other ends of said legs, inward buckling movement of said unit causing separating movement of said work engaging elements, and a hand engaging pad formed on and extending outwardly from one link of said unit.

4. A spreader comprising a spreader bar, a pair of legs, means securing the legs intermediate their ends in connection with opposite ends of said bar for relative pivotal movement of said legs, work engaging elements on one end of said legs, a toggle link unit pivotally connected between the other ends of said legs, inward buckling movement of said unit causing separating movement of said work engaging elements, and a hand engaging pad formed on and extending outwardly from one link of said unit, the spreader bar having a finger opening therethrough whereby a portion of said bar forms a nger grip.

5. A spreader comprising a pair of normally parallel legs, a spreader bar connected between said legs intermediate the ends of the latter and at substantially right angles thereto, said bar being pivoted to at least one of said legs, work engaging elements on one end of said legs, a toggle link unit .pivotally connected between the other ends of said legs, said unit including a central pivot, a palm engaging pad formed with one link and projecting outwardly in overhanging relation to said central pivot, the spreader bar having a nger opening therethrough whereby a portion of said bar forms a nger grip, and means to prevent outward buckling movement of the toggle link unit.

FLOYD H. WYMAN. 

